I was sent this image today and the message said it reminded him of me....

hmmm

maybe , but I wear a helmet :)

Johnny Cash Tribute

I came across this the other day and enjoyed.

I learned that lesson early at the age 8... in 1968... That year not one, but two prominent leaders who dedicated themselves to making changes in this time of agitation were gunned down. The word assassination was added in my ever growing vocabulary.

The first eye opener was the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. My parents were strong supporters of Civil Rights and I was brought up in the liberal minded environment of San Francisco. My father was an immigrant who came to America for a new life. My mother wanted to be a part of social change.

Just a few months later, I sat watching the California primary on the television with my father. We were excited (like so many other Americans) to see Robert Kennedy take the lead and win the Democratic nomination. I recall the elation in my household as it now seemed there was hope for the future....Then in a matter of minutes there was chaos. I remember watching the TV as they showed Kennedy laying in blood, the newsman shockingly announcing he had been shot. I then ran upstairs to tell my mother who had been washing our dinner dishes what had happened. I'll never forget her following me downstairs to the TV and she started to cry. I was only 8 but it sure seemed clear to me that if someone nonconventional became to powerful , boom..bye bye.

It was a crazy time of political unrest, the world as I was intoduced to it, was restless and demanding:
The long and drawn out Vietnam War, the rise and fall of MLK, the curse of the Kennedy clan, Lyndon and Ladybird Johnson, Nixon and his antics, Huey Newton and the Black Panthers, Race Riots in Watts, desegregation, Timothy Leary, Turn on Tune in and Drop out, Hippies, Yippies, Woodstock, Feminism, Gloria Steinem, Malcom X, Mohammed Ali, Flower Power, Summer of Love, Cesar Chavez (no grapes were bought at our house), Lenny Bruce, Smothers Brothers, Redd Foxx, Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and The times they are a changin', Gurus from India, Meditation, Carlos Castenada in search of Don Juan and the brujo, Ken Kesey, Merry Pranksters, the British Invasion, Sympathy for the Devil, Govenor Ronald Reagan, NASA and their race to have an American on the moon............

Life before the internet, cellphones, MTV, going postal, ADD, portable GPS devices, Blackberries, Bluetooth, Game boys, playstations and reality TV.

No, Seeing Bobby Kennedy's assassination was the first reality TV I viewed.
Nonetheless, I still look ahead, laugh and ride my bikes as much as possible. All in all, appreciate every day for what it is.

I FINALLY GOT OFF MY A**

and made the pilgramage to the Hellyer velodrome. I've been thinking about it ever since I bought my fixed gear bike but somehow couldn't factor in the time/energy on a Saturday to drive down from San Francisco to San Jose. Especially since I can just ride out from my house and in 20 minutes be at the Golden Gate Bridge where I have many biking options to choose from.

Well today was the day, and WOW it was fun. Every Satuday (rain and special events excluding) they hold a beginning track session. This is a great way to get aquinted with the track, it's rules and regulations as well as get reaquainted with group riding in an organized format.

After a brief discussion of the meaning of the various lines and names of the areas, we were instructed on when to be in the various lanes. We were given a series of exercises and eventually broke into small groups. I had a slight disadvantage as I stupidly didn't change out my road training gearing and had a very small gear hence had to hold high RPM's to keep up witht the 85 inch gears. Nonetheless, I held my own and at one point managed to see 156 rpms on my cycle computer...

Fortunately I've been riding the hell out of my fixed gear so the basics of non coasting are pretty well ingrained in my body. One other gentleman today was not so lucky. As he was sprinting to the line he lunged out on his bike and must have forgotten not to pedal. All I heard was boom and moaning. He hit the deck and hit it hard...A few bones he did break. This certainly put a reality check back...Wow, it only takes one error...

Nonetheless, I will go back. Hopefully make it a regular training day. It certainly would be nice to have a velodrome in San Francisco. I know, I've heard the rumors about one being built for years...will it ever happen? Hmmm if the 49ers are looking outside, I doulbt a velodrome has any serious contention here. but hey ya never know!

Sacha Baron Cohen is in Da HOUSE.........


Everyone is talking about the Borat movie. It's hilarious. Even folks you'd think would never go to this type of film are going. His humor vasolates on the shocking edge to downright silly. No one goes away unscathed and I hear Kazakhstan isn't to happy with him...But aparrently the choice of using Kazakhstan was just a random pick at the Atlas. Little did they know how much coverage they would get!

This guy is a genius. His ability to get in character and not flinch is outstanding. Sacha Baron Cohen was raised a middle class orthodox Jew, a graduate of Cambridge University and wrote his thesis on Jewish involvement in the American civil rights movement...

Go figure? How'd a nice Jewish boy beome AliG? I suppose he realized his talent and impact would be best utilized within the crazy characters he plays... oh yes,
We can't forget about Bruno.. word is out that the Bruno film is next.

Can't wait.

OK, where the heck have I been??

Up until yesterday I had never ventured via bicycle past the sleepy West Marin town of Inverness. Even though at times I ride the 100+ mile distances, exploring this area never crossed my mind. But to my good fortune, I was advised by the "Master of Bicycle Muppetry" to take a long ride and try tackling Pierce Point which would give me 100 -110 miles of riding. "Great" I thought,"it's good to explore some new territory"....So I set off early Saturday am to meet a cycling friend in Fairfax who was game to ride in a new location too. On our way to Pt. Reyes Station, we encountered all the "usual suspects" of racers and seasoned regulars flying up and down the hills. I was content to keep our pace on the mellower side given the amount of miles I was about to do.
Just outside of Point Reyes, we turned off on Sir Francis Drake and headed out to Inverness. I had forgotten how relatively quiet it gets when you head out west. Tomales Bay was calm and clear...Then come the hills. Hmmm, I didn't think there would be so much climbing. Very few cars. Up and down past all the hide-a-way beaches and historic dairy farms. Then it's Up, Up, Up to the Tule Elk reserve. Those critters are everywhere! Even though we were probably only about 15 miles farther out than usual, it felt like we were somewhere completely different. The views of Tomales bay, the abundance of wildlife and the secluded rural roads are a cyclists paradise. Even though there was clumps of fog spots, likewise there was an equal amount of blue sky. Definitely a strange weather pattern, but beautiful nontheless.
No doubt, I shall return........especially if the "Master of Bicycle Muppetry" continues with his methodical plans.

CREATIVITY NEEDS NO WEALTH




One of my favorite places to go is the DeYoung Museum. I'm fortunate to live close by so I try to go there fairly often. Besides their permanent collections, they have a good variety of "traveling" exhibits. Currently the Quilts of Gees Bend are on display.....



WOW.......

This is an incredible exhibit of the creative minds of some of this country's poorest people. The women on Gees Bend, Alabama are all descendants of the slaves who worked the cotton plantations. After the civil war, these "freed slaves" stayed and became tenant farmers in this all black community...

They worked hard doing physical labor all day in the fields, took care of their families and children and started making quilts as a way to keep warm. They had no money, no extra resourses so their quilts were made from the salvagable pieces of fabric from their work clothes, dresses sheets etc. Nothing went to waste. The batting came from the empty fertilizer bags (which they bleached and boiled) along with the lint from the cotton gins.

These people had no outlets, no opportunity for education, yet created a wonderful artistic environment of banding together and creating quilts. They used no patterns, simply improvised and did what they envisioned and felt along the way. True art, almost like jazz music, where there seems to be a pattern and wham, another thought comes at you just when you don't expect it...True art, made from the hearts and souls who had no other way to express their emotions....

At the DeYoung exhibit, there is a 20 minute film highlighing the women of Gees Bend. Every one of them expresses their love of quilting, how poor they were but how happy they were/are.

In 2003 the surviving quilters started a collective and the quilts are now marketed and for sale.